12 Days of Jolex 2014
by Serendipity Cullen
Summary: 12 Christmas themed long drabbles (less than 500 words) featuring Jolex. Some AU. All characters belong to ABC/Grey's Anatomy/Shonda Rhimes. I own nothing but the situation ;)
1. Day 1 - Bells

**A/N - Last year I did Japril, so this year I will be doing Jolex as well :)**

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><p><span>Day 1 - Bells<span>

Alex Karev rolled over, stretching out his arm for his girlfriend, jarring awake when he didn't touch her warm flesh. "Jo?" he asked sleepily.

"Ssshhh," she soothed as she tugged on a pair of jeans. "Go back to sleep."

The surgeon turned towards the clock. "Five fifty three?" he questioned with a yawn. "Did you get called in?"

"No, I'm off today," the brunette replied and walked over, placing a kiss to his cheek.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't sleep, so I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon," Jo replied. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Alex snuggled into the bed and closed his eyes, attempting sleep. When the door to his home closed, he groaned and sat up. It wasn't even six in the morning, it was dark, it was cold, and it had snowed. It wasn't really a safe time to walk alone, especially if you were a gorgeous woman. Grumbling to himself, the man dressed quickly and grabbed his keys. "Hey!" he yelled as he ran up to Jo at the end of the block.

"Didn't I tell you to go back to sleep? It's freezing out here!"

"Tell me about it," the surgeon grumbled and rubbed his hands together. "What the hell are you doing?"

Jo ducked her head, a feeling of embarrassment washing over her. "The bells ring at six."

"Bells?" Alex questioned. "What bells?"

"The church bells," she replied and pointed to a large church building two blocks away.

"Since when do you go to church?"

"I don't," the brunette shook her head. "It's just...this time of year...when it's cold...and the snow...the bells just put me in the spirit..."

"The spirit?" Alex asked as he filed in beside her and they continued down the street.

"The Christmas spirit," Jo replied. "I just...no matter how bad Christmas was in the system...the sound of the church bells made me feel better, okay?"

Alex looked over to her for a second before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Then let's hear these bells." Normally he'd tease her, but he sensed that this was different. Important. If the bells were important to her, then they were important to him too.


	2. Day 2 - Shopping

Day 2 - Shopping

"Look at these lines!" Alex Karev complained as he and Jo Wilson approached the cash registers in a department store three blocks from the hospital.

"I already said I'm sorry," Jo frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "You didn't have to come with me anyway."

"Yeah, like I'm falling for _that_ trap."

"It's not a trap!"

"Yeah, yeah." Alex might have stupid moments, but he wasn't stupid by nature; and he certainly wasn't stupid enough to send his girlfriend into a department store alone in the middle of the Christmas shopping season. "What did you even get?"

"I got Stephanie season three of her favorite show, and Callie a gift card to _Starbucks_," the brunette replied.

"Since when do you buy Christmas gifts?"

"Since we drew names," Jo rolled her eyes. "Whose name did you get?"

"Nobody," her boyfriend grumbled. "Dudes don't draw names." Not to mention that Alex wasn't much for the whole Christmas holiday thing. The holiday didn't bring up the brightest of memories-the Karev Christmas mornings usually consisted of a bare tree, a hung over father, and a crying mother.

"I only did it cause they made me," the young woman spoke quietly. "I don't really get into Christmas...bad memories, you know..."

Alex nodded solemnly-he wasn't the only foster kid in the world. Jo probably had plenty of sucky Christmas mornings as well. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly after a few moments.

Jo smiled coyly and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're forgiven." Fifteen minutes later, the pair left the store behind. "That's it, no more shopping!"

"Thank God," the surgeon sighed with relief. Though Alex would never admit it, shopping with Jo wasn't so bad.


	3. Day 3 - Fireplace

Day 3 - Fireplace

"Hey," Alex Karev greeted as he stepped into his home after a late surgery.

"Hey," his girlfriend Jo Wilson replied as she tossed another log into the fire.

"Is the heater out?" he asked and pulled off his coat.

"No," the brunette shook her head. "You just never use this thing, so I thought why not try it out?"

Alex shrugged as he hung up his coat in the closet. "Want a beer?"

"Sure, thanks." Jo rubbed her hands together as the heat from the fire warmed them. "How did your surgery go?" she asked as her boyfriend sat beside her and passed her a bottle of beer.

"There were a few bleeders, but everything was fine," the surgeon replied and looked over to her. "You okay?" He knew Jo well enough to know when something was bothering her.

The brunette ducked her head, then looked to the fire. "What was Christmas like for you, Alex?"

The man shrugged and took a drink from his bottle. "Nothing special..."

Jo nodded slowly as she stared at the flames. "Christmas wasn't really good for me either, but...this one family..." Her eyes watered at the memory, and she brushed away the tears quickly. "They were the Millers...I only spent two years with them, but...both years they started up a fire on Christmas Eve, they'd read us a story, and we'd put out cookies for Santa..." Her voice dropped as she drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "It was the closest thing I had to normal, you know?"

Alex nodded slowly, the reason for her sudden use of the fireplace becoming more and more apparent. They sat in silence for a while before he finally spoke, "We should probably use this more often..."

Jo looked over to him, fresh tears brimming her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah...it will cut down on the gas bill."

The brunette laughed softly-leave it up to Alex to make her laugh when she was reliving past pain. Alex could claim to be cutting corners all he wanted, but Jo knew the real reason he wanted to use the fireplace. For her.


	4. Day 4 - Carols

Day 4 - Carols

"Alex, come _on_," Jo Wilson frowned and tugged on her boyfriend's arm.

"No way," Alex Karev shook his head and pulled his arm from her grasp.

"You're their freaking surgeon!" the brunette argued. "Head of the department! You could at least sing a few stinking songs."

"I don't sing."

"Then mouthe along, I don't care," Jo sassed. "It would mean a lot to the kids to see their surgeon doing something nice for them."

Alex raised an eyebrow as he studied the woman he loved. "Was this your idea?"

"Hell no," the resident shook her head. "Kepner was all up in this."

"Figures."

"Arizona loved the idea, by the way. She actually thought you would like it too..."

"Oh, stop your nagging," Alex snapped and snatched the sheet of music from her hand. "Jingle Bells?" he questioned. "Seriously?"

"Shut up, you're making the tiny humans feel better."

Despite having to be dragged along, Alex joined Jo, Callie, April, and a few of the interns to sing Christmas Carols throughout the pediatric wing. Callie shook bells and April tossed wads of confetti as the group stopped outside of each door, singing loudly. The pediatric surgeon would never admit it, but seeing the sick children smile made the whole goofy thing worth it. "We done now? Can I get back to work? You know, saving lives?"

"You're such a jerk," Jo rolled her eyes. "You liked it, and you know it." She gave him that smug smile that let him know she wasn't buying his crap.

"Yeah, whatever. See you tonight?"

"Uh huh. Bye, Scrooge." Jo pecked his cheek and moved down the hall, humming the tune to jingle bells as she left.

Alex watched her until she turned the corner and disappeared. The truth was, he _did_ enjoy the Christmas activity...and maybe it was time he and Jo start a few holiday activities of their own.


	5. Day 5 - Snowman

Day 5 - Snowman

"Hey, I was beginning to worry," Alex Karev greeted as his girlfriend left her car and joined him on the porch. "Are the roads bad?"

"In some spots," Jo Wilson answered and took the cup of coffee he offered her. "Plus you know I drive super slow on ice."

"I'm glad. At least you got home in one piece."

The night before, a terrible snowstorm had blown through Seattle, depositing six inches of white powder on the ground and icing up the roads. The pit had been insane with activity that day, to say the least.

"Would you miss me if something happened?" the brunette teased, glancing over to him.

"Of course," Alex replied, then shifted uncomfortably. He'd had an idea in his head for a while, but now that it was time to put it into words...he felt really stupid. "Do you have any, uh, Christmas things?" he stuttered. "You know, traditions?"

Jo shrugged. "Not really. Christmas always sucked in the homes I was in...and then in my car... I didn't really have the money for Christmas. And then med school and all..." She let the sentence drop off before looking over to him. "Why?"

Alex cleared his throat and shrugged casually. "I was just thinking we could start some stuff of our own...you know, some tradition things."

The brunette's eyebrow raised. "Christmas traditions? We...we suck at Christmas..."

"Together," her boyfriend interjected. "We suck at Christmas together."

A slow smile crept onto Jo's face as she looked over the blanket of snow. "Let's start with a snowman."

The two people who had a history of sucky Christmas days spent an hour building a snowman. It was an uneven, horrible looking snowman, but it was their snowman. And the first of their Christmas traditions.


	6. Day 6 - Baking

Day 6 - Baking

"Jo?" Alex called one evening as he opened the door to his home. "Jo?!" her name became desperate on his tongue as a haze hung in the house.

"I'm fine!" a desperate call came from the kitchen.

The surgeon dropped his bag at the door, jogging into the kitchen. "What are you doing?" he asked and coughed as smoke went down his throat.

"I'm trying to bake, damnit!"

Alex stopped, taking in the scene before him. His beautiful girlfriend had an apron wrapped around her waist, and she was covered in flour. The man's dark eyes shifted to the stove where a baking sheet with black lumps sat. "You...were...baking..." He chose his words very carefully.

"Yes," Jo sighed with exasperation. "I was going to make us some cookies for Christmas, and I got this recipe from Callie..." Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them back quickly.

"Hey, it's okay," her boyfriend said softly, moving to her side. "They look...delicious."

"Seriously?" the brunette asked skeptically. "They're burnt!"

"They're not burnt, they're just...well done." Alex swallowed a lump in his throat and pried the black mound from the pan. He cringed as he bit into the cookie. Oh yeah, it was burnt. "See?" he asked. "Delicious."

"Don't patronize me," Jo frowned.

"Okay, fine, they suck," Alex deadpanned.

"Alex!"

The surgeon chuckled and dumped the cookies into the garbage. "The first draft of anything is crap," he smirked. "Let's try again."

Jo smiled softly as he glanced to the recipe and began cracking eggs into the bowl. A small part of her was glad that she ruined the first batch of cookies. Making Christmas cookies _with_ Alex would be much more memorable.


	7. Day 7 - Cards

**A/N - I apologize for posting these late in the day, but I was actually busy making a _Scalpel_ fanfic trailer, which is linked on my profile ;) Check it out! Plus, I should be updating _Scalpel_ tomorrow :)**

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><p><span>Day 7 - Cards<span>

"Damnit," Jo Wilson cursed and put her finger to her lips.

"Paper cut?" her boyfriend smirked and looked up from the television.

"Yes!" the brunette exclaimed. "That's the third one!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be doing that."

"Maybe you should be helping me," Jo retorted.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Guys don't do Christmas cards."

"Well, according to you, guys don't do anything but eat, sleep, and screw. Oh, and drink beer."

"Those are my four favorite things," the surgeon grinned and stood, moving over to the table. "Why are you sending out cards anyway?"

"It's something you're supposed to do at Christmas," Jo shrugged. "You send cards, you get cards...you know, spread the Christmas cheer or whatever..."

Alex grunted, turning back towards the television and then stopped. This was the year they were actively participating in Christmas...and they were supposed to be doing things together. "Do you need some help?" he grumbled and turned back towards the table.

His girlfriend's eyes lit up as she smiled widely. "I'd _love_ to have some help. I haven't addressed any of the envelopes."

The man plopped into the chair beside her and opened the address book. "If they can't read my writing, it's your fault."

"Yeah, yeah."

Alex smiled to himself as he and Jo sat quietly and prepared Christmas cards. He'd never sent a Christmas card in his life, and he was glad the first time was with Jo.


	8. Day 8 - Blizzard

Day 8 - Blizzard

"Man it's coming down out there!" Alex announced as he blew into his home.

"I know!" Jo exclaimed hopped off the couch. "The weather channel says it's going to snow all night!" She helped her boyfriend out of his coat as she spoke, shaking off snow.

"You sound happy about that," the man remarked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I love the snow," the brunette admitted shyly. "It's kind of magical to me."

Alex paused, just staring at her for a moment. He had the chance to make another Christmas memory for them. "Go make some hot chocolate."

"Huh?" Jo asked. "You don't even like hot chocolate."

"Yeah, I know," he shrugged in return. "But when it's snowing like that...you gotta have hot chocolate."

The brunette quirked her head, inspecting him. "What are you up to, Karev?"

"Just make the hot chocolate," Alex snipped. "We'll wrap up in blankets, sit outside, and watch it snow."

"With hot chocolate?"

"With hot chocolate," he confirmed.

Jo stared at him for another few seconds before squealing and scampering towards the kitchen. Alex snickered to himself and shook his head; he normally wouldn't be caught dead watching the snow, but knowing that Jo liked the snow made him change his priorities.

Fifteen minutes later the couple sat outside wrapped up like burritos.

"This is amazing," Jo breathed as the snow danced down to the ground. "Definitely top of my Christmas memories list."

"The top, huh?" Alex teased and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh yeah."

He smiled softly. It was at the top of his list too.


	9. Day 9 - Christmas Tree

Day 9 - Christmas Tree

"Alex?" Jo questioned one evening after stepping in from a twenty hour surgery. Her eye wandered the artificial tree standing in the corner.

"We have to have a Christmas tree," he replied, an edge to his tone. "It's just not Christmas without a tree." Buying the tree was the hardest thing he'd done in a long time. Alex could cut into children and stand in an OR for hours on end, but buying a tree was nearly his undoing. Too many memories flooded his mind-most Christmas seasons in the Karev house never had a tree. Then when his mother insisted on buying a tree with the money she made at the diner, she couldn't afford ornaments. The next year when ornaments were bought, Jimmy came home in a drunken rage and ripped the shapes from the tree. After that, the Karev house went back to a treeless Christmas.

The brunette hesitated, seeing that familiar look of pain in his depths. "It's huge!" she exclaimed, forcing a lightness to her tone. "I love it!"

Alex ran his hand through his hair and nodded towards the sofa. "I got ornaments too...I wasn't sure what to get, so I just got red and green ones..."

"That's great," Jo smiled, moving to the sofa and opening the sacks. "Not too bad since you didn't have supervision."

"Haha," her boyfriend smirked, the tension slowly leaving his body. "I even got hangers."

The resident breathed a sigh of relief as she sat next to the ornaments and began putting hangers on them. "Is the tree prelit?"

"Yeah, clear."

"Good." Jo would have preferred colored lights, but she didn't dare tell him. They were already both out of their comfort zones in regards to Christmas, and Alex did what he thought was best. Plus, it was nice coming home and seeing the tree in the corner-it made her feel like this was truly _their_ Christmas.

An hour or so passed as the couple hung ornaments on the tree and discussed the day's surgeries. "That's all of them," Alex announced as he plucked the last ornament from the box. "Want to do the honors?"

Jo grinned and took the red ball from him, hanging it towards the back of the tree. "Perfect." She took a few steps back as her eyes swept up and down the tree. "It's perfect." Her eyes brimmed with tears-it was the best Christmas tree she'd ever had.

"You okay?" Alex asked softly, moving beside her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, just..." The brunette paused, composing herself and wiping at her eyes. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had."

The man nodded and looked away, blinking his eyes. "Me too," he choked out. "Me too."


	10. Day 10 - Family

Day 10 - Family

"You're gonna be late," Alex chastised one morning as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "We've got rounds in what, thirty minutes?"

"Traffic jam," Jo sassed as she continued to stare at the tree.

"We're two blocks from the hospital," her boyfriend reminded her. "You could walk if you wanted."

"It's too cold to walk," she reasoned and took the cup of coffee. "I love the tree."

Alex grinned and ducked his head. "I like it too." He wouldn't go as far as to say that he loved the tree; he loved only one thing, and that was the woman standing before him.

"Alex," the brunette spoke his name softly as he turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"I-I didn't really have a f-family," Jo started, her voice catching. "The longest I ever stayed in a foster home was a year, and...that's just not a family."

"I know," the man nodded as she hesitated.

"No one gets that, you know?" the young woman continued, her voice wavering. "Except you. You get that, you truly get that. When you say you understand, you really understand..."

"Okay?" Alex asked, unsure as to why she was rambling. "You okay?"

Jo took a deep breath, her mind going back to Kepner's almost wedding. Alex had put everything on the line that day. "You're my family," she stated. "It's you and me, and...I'm in this, okay? This thing we've got...I'm a part of it, and I'm not going anywhere. It's you and me, and...it's always going to be you and me."

The man's breath caught in his throat. Finally. Finally, after all this time, she was fully committing to him. This was her proposal. "Family?"

"Family," Jo confirmed, sealing her promise with a kiss.


	11. Day 11 - Presents

Day 11 - Presents

"So...who's going first?" Alex asked nervously as he looked to his girlfriend.

"I don't know," Jo said and bit her lip.

Alex and Jo sat in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, prepared to exchange gifts, but neither of them knew how to go about the whole ordeal. After stumbling through their own Christmas traditions, the couple was ready to have their first gift exchange. Unfortunately, Alex didn't really get any gifts growing up and Jo was thrown a gift that was usually a pair of socks.

"Open mine first," the brunette ventured after another moment of silence. She clasped her hands together nervously as he began to rip into the paper. Jo had noticed Alex focus on the watch weeks ago when they were shopping; it seemed like something he would want as a gift, but the resident still wasn't sure about the whole exchanging presents thing. Was a watch considered a tacky gift?

Alex smiled after carefully opening the box. "You remembered..."

Jo bit her lip nervously. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," her boyfriend answered and slid the watch onto his wrist. "Thank you." He leaned and kissed her softly. "Open mine," he eased the box into her hand as he spoke.

The brunette ripped off the paper quickly, almost feeling like she were on display. "Oh Alex," she breathed after lifting the lid and finding a diamond tennis bracelet. Yes, diamonds. Not some cubic zirconia imitation, but the _real_ thing. The bracelet easily cost a few thousand dollars, if not more.

The doctor could practically see her calculating the price in her head. "You've never had diamonds before," he spoke softly. "I want your first ones to be from me."

Jo looked over to him with tears in her eyes. "I love it," she whispered. "And I love you."


	12. Day 12 - Cheer

**A/N - My apologies for not posting Day 11 yesterday! It was a rough day at work, and I was over-loaded with holiday stuff. At least you get two updates at once! Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate! Have a safe & happy holiday! :)**

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><p><span>Day 12 - Cheer<span>

"Merry Christmas!" Jo exclaimed as she breezed through the doors of the hospital.

"Bah humbug," Alex grumbled behind her.

"Stop that," the brunette frowned and swatted his arm. "You should be happy! It's Christmas!" Normally she wasn't a fan of Christmas, but creating traditions with her boyfriend had put her in a better mood.

"I'd be happier if we were home," he complained in return and pushed the button for the elevator.

Jo frowned and looked to him as they boarded the elevator. "I totally understand that, Alex. I mean, working on Christmas...ugh, how terrible! It's almost as bad as being a sick child, in the hospital, on Christmas."

Alex's eyebrows knit together, and his frown deepened. "Shut up."

The brunette gave him that sassy smirk when she knew she'd made a point. "Just _imagine_ what it would be like to be stuck in some old hospital on Christmas day! I mean, seriously!"

"Okay, okay," the man said and raised his hands. "You win!"

"I like winning," Jo grinned and placed a peck to his cheek. "Seriously though, try to be leave Scrooge in the elevator, okay? Spread a little Christmas cheer."

"Fine," Alex rolled his eyes as they parted ways. Despite being bummed that he had to spend the holiday on the clock, the man managed to brighten the day of his patients. He spread the Christmas cheer, and it made all the difference.


End file.
